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Also, if you look on wikipedia, it says that Sword Art Online anime will have 42 episodes. This makes me very happy, but if that's so, they should have split Episode 2 of the anime into 2 separate episodes, though it's also fine that they didn't.

That's definitely wrong. Or rather, there's nothing to prove that there'll be 42 episodes (two 21 episode seasons?). All we've heard is that the current season of SAO is 2-cour (approx. 22~26 episodes).

That's definitely wrong. Or rather, there's nothing to prove that there'll be 42 episodes (two 21 episode seasons?). All we've heard is that the current season of SAO is 2-cour (approx. 22~26 episodes).

If it was that long then I rather doubt we'd be having any rushing or whatnot. They'd have time to properly expand all the stories that actually needed it and whatnot. The number doesn't make much sense in any case and you don't really see any series that go beyond 26 unless they have a designated Second Season.

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By the pricking of my thumbs, something wicked this way comes.

"Nearly all men can stand adversity, if you want to test a man's character give him power." - Abraham Lincoln

ALO is the emotional closure for Kirito and Asuna, as they overcome all odds to finally be together.

Eh, I'd be happy with a straight SAO adaptation. Largely because I really dislike the damsel in distress shtick, and consequently how it killed Asuna as a character who actually does stuff instead of mostly sitting around looking pretty. It also dealt a big blow to all of Asuna's talk of being the one who'll protect Kirito in the SAO arc.

And strictly speaking, it wasn't so much "they" as "he." (damsel in distress plot ) Asuna did a few things, but in the end (and especially the end) she was just the trophy hanging on the wall stuck waiting for somebody to grab her first.

Asuna was justified at being in distress, so I don't see it as ruining her character. She was locked up via admin controls: there was literally nothing she could do. Yet she still managed to get out of her cage and get the key to Yui. She had no weapons, she was never trained in unarmed combat, and she was held prisoner by someone who could control her environment absolutely. It isn't ruining someone's character when they're held prisoner by the gamemaster.

If the author had abused the concept, and had her getting held prisoner repeatedly, yes it would be an issue, because he'd be obviously playing off the damsel in distress thing. But it just happened this once, in a situation that justified why she couldn't get out alone.

Unfortunately that does not change the fact that, change Gamemaster to Demon King, she is still playing damsel in distress here. There's no avoiding that.

The thing is, while the 'damsel in distress' plot device is quite overused and annoying to read (actually the entire ALO arc is a hero save princess story), as long as the character itself remain In Character then it is fine.

Unfortunately that does not change the fact that, change Gamemaster to Demon King, she is still playing damsel in distress here. There's no avoiding that.

The thing is, while the 'damsel in distress' plot device is quite overused and annoying to read (actually the entire ALO arc is a hero save princess story), as long as the character itself remain In Character then it is fine.

To be honest, one can argue that the entire SAO franchise always involves Kirito saving one person or another

Eh, I'd be happy with a straight SAO adaptation. Largely because I really dislike the damsel in distress shtick, and consequently how it killed Asuna as a character who actually does stuff instead of mostly sitting around looking pretty. It also dealt a big blow to all of Asuna's talk of being the one who'll protect Kirito in the SAO arc.

And strictly speaking, it wasn't so much "they" as "he." (damsel in distress plot ) Asuna did a few things, but in the end (and especially the end) she was just the trophy hanging on the wall stuck waiting for somebody to grab her first.

Your viewpoint is one that I understand and I agree to an extent, but from the context of an 'animated adaption of SAO', I'd have to respectfully disagree. (my opinion, naturally)

As a story on its own, I agree that a straight-SAO adaption works fine. But looking past the damsel-in-distress factor, I found FD to be an essential story piece, afterstory, epilogue if you will that is the 'real closure for SAO.'

FD is a story-piece that doesn't feel right to be disassociated from the 'Aincrad story', because different as they were, on an emotional context, Kirito and Asuna were still 'trapped in SAO' during FD.

Did I think it could've been better or told in a way that didn't have the damsel-in-distress plot? Absolutely. I won't pretend that I'm capable of writing it though, and for what its worth, I highly enjoyed FD. Despite Asuna being the driving plot factor behind FD, she wasn't the character developmental piece/heroine of that arc and it was meant to be different.

And you're taking the Asuna-protecting-Kirito thing a little too literally. While it was meant in a literal sense, the whole story of SAO was Kirito being 'saved' by Asuna the whole time. Asuna was the light the shined through the darkness that Kirito was feeling when he felt that he had almost nothing left.

And Kirito had changed from that. That was why FD was important, because it was as much about a Kirito who had changed from his meeting with Asuna, and how he was ultimately able to surpass his inner demons.

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Night~and~Gale: ~ The Final Mythology of the Man who Defied Destiny.The sleeping lion shall awaken beyond the depths of time, crossing ten billion lights, come to Terra.

Asuna was justified at being in distress, so I don't see it as ruining her character. She was locked up via admin controls: there was literally nothing she could do. Yet she still managed to get out of her cage and get the key to Yui. She had no weapons, she was never trained in unarmed combat, and she was held prisoner by someone who could control her environment absolutely. It isn't ruining someone's character when they're held prisoner by the gamemaster.

If the author had abused the concept, and had her getting held prisoner repeatedly, yes it would be an issue, because he'd be obviously playing off the damsel in distress thing. But it just happened this once, in a situation that justified why she couldn't get out alone.

That's not what I meant. Why did the author decide to make an arc that involved Asuna being a damsel in distress at all? Why did there have to be an arc where a guy called Sugou, who was decided upon by her parents to be her fiance, locks her up? That's what I have the real issue with in this context. This whole arc could have been not about Asuna being a nearly useless character. It would have been one thing if she were just a sideline character from the start, but right from page 1 Asuna was a first-rate combat character. Even in her "rookie days" as portrayed in Aria, she was still really good.

Quote:

Originally Posted by Nightengale

And you're taking the Asuna-protecting-Kirito thing a little too literally. While it was meant in a literal sense, the whole story of SAO was Kirito being 'saved' by Asuna the whole time. Asuna was the light the shined through the darkness that Kirito was feeling when he felt that he had almost nothing left.

I don't mean the spirit of her words, I'm talking about how she was a great combat character who said she wanted to protect him, and she ended up being locked in a cage instead. It ends up making her words sound empty.

Quote:

And Kirito had changed from that. That was why FD was important, because it was as much about a Kirito who had changed from his meeting with Asuna, and how he was ultimately able to surpass his inner demons.

Which could have been equally (if not better) accomplished in a way other than the annoying damsel in distress plot, which didn't mix well with Asuna's character in the first place.

I don't hate Fairy Dance, but I do think Aincrad works better as a stand-alone story. The whole Asuna-in-a-birdcage plot came out of nowhere and completely undermined the ending of Aincrad. It was just like "no, they didn't actually win there, even though it looked like they did, and now they have to fight a less interesting villain to get to the exact same ending we already got before." Nothing wrong with ALO or even the new characters in Fairy Dance, but I think the story he chose to tell there was simply one that he shouldn't have had to tell. Even in the author's notes he basically admits that he felt forced to come up with some life or death problem to create tension, and he'd rather just have written a story about people playing ALO. Which might have been more interesting too, with the faction politics and stuff that he'd been building up in the first volume.

Phantom Bullet was a much better way to deal with the aftermath of Aincrad, since it focused more on the PTSD of being a SAO survivor and all that rather than just delaying the ending. Directly related to past events, but still a new story. Although I spent the entire first novel hoping that Asuna would transfer over a character too...

I'm not disputing that Fairy Dance could've been better. And Aincrad is definitely better as a stand-alone story, as far as just the 'overall saga of SAO' is concerned.

Despite that, I still feel that FD is essential towards properly telling SAO as the proper "After Story" for Kirito & Asuna post-Aincrad, and for all of FD's flaws, it'd be doing Kirito & Asuna a disservice more than good.

The whole last 3 or so chapters of FD was pretty much the author saying goodbye to 'The Black Swordsman' & 'The Flash', as Kirito and Asuna had finally returned to their 'real world.'

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Night~and~Gale: ~ The Final Mythology of the Man who Defied Destiny.The sleeping lion shall awaken beyond the depths of time, crossing ten billion lights, come to Terra.

...couldn't you just add that as an epilogue to Aincrad? You're just talking about them meeting in the hospital and the new school and all that, right? I can't think of a single thing the plot of FD added to the overall story. As I said, it just delayed the ending.

...couldn't you just add that as an epilogue to Aincrad? You're just talking about them meeting in the hospital and the new school and all that, right? I can't think of a single thing the plot of FD added to the overall story. As I said, it just delayed the ending.

The seed for all other VR games?
Seemed FD for anything was to get Heathcliff to give the "seed" to Kirito.

Eh all of this was written before in web novel form before publishing so I doubt you could really change any of it.

Eh, I'd be happy with a straight SAO adaptation. Largely because I really dislike the damsel in distress shtick, and consequently how it killed Asuna as a character who actually does stuff instead of mostly sitting around looking pretty. It also dealt a big blow to all of Asuna's talk of being the one who'll protect Kirito in the SAO arc.

And strictly speaking, it wasn't so much "they" as "he." (damsel in distress plot ) Asuna did a few things, but in the end (and especially the end) she was just the trophy hanging on the wall stuck waiting for somebody to grab her first.

I actually prefer the SAO arc over any of the other arcs. It might just be me, but SAO was the most entertaining since there weren't that many characters (Kirito, Asuna, Egil, Klein) and it was only centered around the few of them. And then, they were forced into the game 24/7 and their lives had already adapted to grinding, farming, clearing, etc and there's a certain (I don't know the word off my head) effect that makes you want to keep going.

Then came ALO which introduced Kirito's cousin as a player and the part where they had to travel to the giant tree got really old really fast. And they took away Asuna for a huge chunk of it!! Then we find that she's being held hostage (kinda) in another MMORPG which is an adaption of the original SAO and Kirito had to go save her. I mean, seriously, wings? I get that this is a fantasy game, but... meh, I guess I just don't like it because it is a slightly "damsel in distress" cliche and I find it boring.

GGO was a pretty nice read. Sinon was a pretty cool character and she had a nice backstory, but then when it came to killing Death Gun, I felt that they dragged it out a little too long.

Volume 7 was a good read, though my favorite part was when Kirito came in and helped Asuna and her group into the boss room.

I haven't read Volume 9 yet, so I can't comment on it.

P.S. In the side story that's labeled Volume 1 Chapter 16.5, I feel like that part should be included into Chapter 16. Did they put it as a side story because of the M rated content or no?

Suguha's character development's too. She's the darn heroine of that story ORZ

As well as that scene with everyone flying towards their new ALO future. If there was one scene where Reki clearly designed and wrote for an season's finale, it was that.

Reki Kawahara isn't going to rewrite a whole new F.Dance just because some of us felt it could've been done better. And it's not like they're going to do what Clarste suggested to. ( It's ultimately for worse than better, imo )

I simply believe that it's not a good thing to disassociate the importance of the things that happened in FD ( some of them, not all ) from SAO just because there's parts that could've been done much better.

__________________

Night~and~Gale: ~ The Final Mythology of the Man who Defied Destiny.The sleeping lion shall awaken beyond the depths of time, crossing ten billion lights, come to Terra.

What do you mean by "part-canon"? SAO: Progressive will be part of the Blu-ray special? Where'd you hear that? Because, honestly, it sounds too good to be true..

if were going by the web novel manuscript

Alicization arc starts with Kirito and Eugio? already starting to cut the Gigas Cedar and thats where Alice comes in from time to time giving them food and such during the entire time since they were children (they were childhood friends) apparently, and due to strange happenings in the mountains they decided to investigate it and a monster battle ensues, due to the cast being weak they decided to escape back to the village only to find out the royal guards are present and is going to arrest Alice to be taken to the capital for inquest... kicks starts the journey of Kirito and Eugio to get Alice back a few years later when they are "stronger" since this technically took place when they were 10 years old.

this was before baka-tsuki guys decided to take down the story but thats how Project Alicization starts clearly there was no quantum theories involved about RATH and such... especially Kirito dying...

though I'm not sure where the original Alicization Arc is with in Kawahara's site since I have a hard time browsing it.
curious this is the site Kawahara is still using to update side stories and more materialhttp://wordgear.x0.com/novel/
ohh and SAO arc in it's own right if hecticly long... very very long

Suguha's character development's too. She's the darn heroine of that story ORZ

As well as that scene with everyone flying towards their new ALO future. If there was one scene where Reki clearly designed and wrote for an season's finale, it was that.

Reki Kawahara isn't going to rewrite a whole new F.Dance just because some of us felt it could've been done better. And it's not like they're going to do what Clarste suggested to. ( It's ultimately for worse than better, imo )

I simply believe that it's not a good thing to disassociate the importance of the things that happened in FD ( some of them, not all ) from SAO just because there's parts that could've been done much better.

Absolutely nothing important happened in FD though. They woke up and went to school together, but that's just a "happy ending" that you could have easily inferred from the end of SAO volume 1. Kirito wakes up, and has his whole life ahead of him. It was a very optimistic ending.

Now, stuff did happen in ALO. But it wasn't important to Aincrad. Suguha suddenly existed, and had her own character arc. But her character arc was irrelevant and unless you're particular romantic frankly it's hard to care about her when you really just want to see Asuna finally wake up like you thought she should've 2 volumes ago. And then there's this bit about accepting VRMMOs as not inherently evil because they're fun to play. Which is... somewhat undermined by the fact that the owner of ALO was also an insane villain. All this new stuff simply dilutes the story.

Frankly, I think you could even cut Fairy Dance out entirely, 100% don't even mention it, and the rest of the stories would still make sense. You might be confused as to why they're playing a new MMO and why his sister plays too, but other than that it has no long term effects on any of the characters, other than solving the problems it itself introduced.

I'm not saying this would happen, because it definitely won't, but Fairy Dance simply doesn't fit in at all, and it doesn't stand on its own either like the other sequels. It's halfway in between and ends up with the worst of both sides.